1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a device and method for connecting wire, and more particularly to a device and method for connecting wire, which may be used to connect a flat wire.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional wire connections are typically made by means of a conductive material slightly conformed and placed within a close proximity. Such connections utilize various forms of fastening to create pressure for the desired effect of mechanical stability.
However, there are inherent problems with such arrangements which include varying contact resistance upon installation, changing contact resistance over time, loss of signal, corrosion, difficulty of installation, and disconnection under various mechanical conditions.
In addition, conventional wire is typically in the form of a wire strand or a plurality of wire strands. Such wire is incompressible and must be formed by the user to properly fasten to a connector. However, even after being formed in some fashion, such wire typically does not make good surface contact. Indeed, to improve the surface contact, the wires are often welded or soldered to the connector. However, this is extremely burdensome, time consuming and costly. Moreover, welding or soldering the wire to the connector makes the connection irreversible.
In view of the foregoing problems of the conventional techniques, an object of the present invention is to provide a device and method for connecting wire which provides a secure, durable, large-surface area contact connection mechanism and which may be used to connect flat wire.
In a first aspect of the present invention, a device for connecting wire includes a conductive rod having a first slot for inserting a conductor (e.g., plurality of conductors) of a wire (e.g., plurality of wires), and an insulating sleeve covering a portion of the conductive rod, the insulating sleeve having a second slot through which the conductor contacts the conductive rod. The conductive rod may be rotated to apply the conductor to the conductive rod.
The device may also include a template formed on the wire for reducing a strain on the wire (e.g., when the conductor is connected to the conductive rod), a termination connected to the conductive rod, for electrically connecting the device to a source/target device, and a cap for rotating the conductive rod, the cap being formed on an end of the conductive rod.
The template may provide a guide for cutting insulation around the conductor so that a user knows, for example, how much insulation to cut around the conductor to expose the proper amount of conductor to be inserted into the conductive rod. The template may also provide a rotating stop mechanism so that the conductive rod is rotated by a desired amount.
The conductor may be inserted into the first slot so that, when the conductive rod is rotated, the conductor is applied or wound around the conductive rod. The first slot may also have an edge (e.g., an abrupt edge) to help apply the conductor to the conductive rod. In addition, the conductor may be compressed between the insulating sleeve and the conductive rod.
Further, the conductive rod may include a metal or non-metal conductive material. The rod may have a cylindrical, elliptical or other cross-sectional design. The rod may, thus, be tubular or have other multifaceted or flat planar surfaces and include a metal conductive device termination (e.g., to connect the device to another (e.g., source/target) device. In addition, the conductive rod and device termination may be plated with one or more conductive plating materials. Further, the contact area between the conductive rod and the conductor of the wire may be greater than a cross-sectional area of the termination.
In addition, the inventive device may be used to connect a wire having a plurality of conductive layers. For example, the wire may include at least one elongated conductor having a width of 0.125 inches or more and comprising at least one conductive layer having a thickness in a range of 0.0004 and 0.0200 inches, a bonding material between the conductors, and an insulation layer surrounding the conductors and bonding material. In addition, the thickness of the wire may be about 0.050 inches or less.
Further, the insulating sleeve may have a roughened outer surface and may be transparent, translucent or opaque and/or color-coded or otherwise differentiated by surface or molded indicator. In addition, the insulating sleeve may also include an open end for inserting the conductive rod, and a partially-open end to allow the insulating sleeve to expand, for example, to allow a conductor to be applied or wound around the conductive rod.
Further, the rotating cap may have the same color and texture as the insulating sleeve, and may be formed of the same material as the insulating sleeve. The rotating cap may also include an indicator for visually displaying to a user, a degree of rotation of the rotating cap.
In a second aspect of the present invention, an inventive method of connecting wire (e.g., insulated wire) includes inserting a conductor of a wire into a conductive rod, inserting the conductive rod into an insulating sleeve, and rotating the conductive rod to apply (e.g., wind and compress) the conductor around a surface of the conductive rod. The method may also include applying a strain relief and application template to the wire.
In the inventive method, the conductor may be compressed between the insulating sleeve and the surface of the conductive rod. Also, the contact area between the applied conductor and conductive rod may be greater than the cross sectional area of the termination affixed to the conductive rod.
With its unique and novel features, the present invention provides a tight, stable wire connecting device and method. The inventive device provides a large surface area for contact to minimize contact electrical or electromagnetic signal resistance. Further, the inventive device helps to ensure that a contact pressure is evenly applied over the surface area of the conductive rod and conductor of the wire. In addition, the contact area provided by the inventive device is substantially air-tight to enhance resistance to corrosion of the conductive rod of the inventive device or conductors to which is applied. Furthermore, the resulting contact is also very durable and resistant to mechanical failure because of the secure connection provided by the inventive device.